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Gillian Todd
Gillian Marie Todd (formerly Lansing) (pronunciation: JILL-ee-an) was the mother of Jesse and Braden Lansing, and the wife of Robert Lansing. Early Life Gillian Marie Todd was born in 1969 in Birch Tree, Missouri. Raised in a strict, religious, middle-class family, Gillian was an honors student. She went on to attend college where she met her future husband, MBA student Robert Lansing. Within a couple years of dating, she became pregnant, which caused Robert to propose to her. She later gave birth to a son after her and Robert married in 1989. She then dropped out of college to be a full-time mother. Three years later, she gave birth to another son. Postpartum and Descent into Psychosis After giving birth a second time, Gillian developed post-partum depression and frequently experienced panic attacks as a result of the overwhelming stress of another baby. As her mental state continued to deteriorate with no signs of improving, her husband insisted she get professional help. Losing her grip on reality and unable to accept her illness, Gillian had a psychotic break (later learned to be as a result of untreated bipolar disorder) and became paranoid and believed that Robert was trying to take her sons away from her and would commit her to a psychiatric hospital in order to do so. Desperate to avoid this fate, Gillian takes Braden, now four, and leaves behind her husband and 1-year-old son as she couldn't look after two young children alone. Imprisoned Life of Abuse Soon after leaving town, Gillian met a man who offered her a modeling job and a place for her and her son to stay until they got back on their feet. Desperate for money and having nowhere to go as Robert flagged her bank accounts as a result of taking Braden, Gillian eagerly accepted his offer. However, the "modeling job" was revealed to be a scam as he blackmailed her into prostitution by threatening to kill her and Braden if she didn't do so as he had done with other women in vulnerable situations. Trapped, Gillian was physically and sexually abused by her pimp in front of her son which caused her to turn to drugs in attempt to cope. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she attempted to escape with Braden one night but they were caught. She stepped in front of Braden and begged for him to be let go, but her pimp beats her to death in front of her son as punishment and takes Braden, grooming him to become like him. Despite her effort to protect her son, her pimp manipulated him into believing that his mother did not love him, causing Braden to hate her. In The Novels |-|The Beauty of the Dark= |-|Where There Is Light= Personality Gillian is a victim. She became trapped in a world that many others fall prey to and came undone as a result. Still, she thought only of her son and attempted to flee with him. Despite the fact that she is easily seen as a terrible mother, the fact that she stood for her son and pleaded for his freedom against what she knew to be her demise is not to be forgotten. Physical Appearance Relationships Appearances Name First *'Gillian' is a feminine name of Latin origin that means "youthful". Middle *'Marie' is a feminine name of French and Latin origin that means "star of the sea". Last *'Todd' is a surname of Medieval English origin that means “fox”. From the Old English todde. **'Lansing' is a surname of English origin that means “family or followers of”. Trivia Quotes Tropes Gallery Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Mentioned Only Characters Category:Deceased Category:The Beauty of the Dark Characters Category:Where There Is Light Characters Category:Lansing Family Category:Parents